On Mar. 1, a long line of students waited in anticipation outside of the Carroll Room of the Campus Center. They were not waiting to hear someone speak, nor attending a club meeting. They were waiting to get the Meningitis B vaccine.
Last semester, two UMass students contracted the disease. In a statement regarding the incidents, the university explained that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention laboratory discovered that the type of bacteria that caused both students’ infections was very similar and other UMass students were at a higher risk for contracting the disease.
UMass immediately set up vaccination clinics for its students. The disease was seemingly under control after that.
However, on Feb. 25, the Smith community received an email from Leslie Jaffe, the College Physician stating that a Smith student was diagnosed with a bacterial meningitis infection and had to be rushed to the hospital. In his email, Jaffe informed the community that the student lives off campus and is receiving proper medical care. The college, along with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, promptly notified those who were in close contact with the student.
The following Thursday, the vaccination clinic opened. In a campus-wide email on Mar. 2, Jaffe wrote that the clinic had been successful. He also wrote that those who unable to make it to the clinic could either make an appointment with the Health Services or CVS pharmacies on Main Street and King Street to receive the vaccination.
Jaffe reminded students that “the vast majority of Smith students have been vaccinated against four strains of bacterial meningitis (ACWY); the fifth strain, Group B, is not currently part of the college’s required vaccine schedule due to the relatively recent availability of the vaccine.”
“We have administered more than 700 meningitis B vaccines since the CDC declared an outbreak at the University of Massachusetts last fall,” Jaffe wrote. “Including 400 administered at the Smith College Campus Center on March 1.”
A second vaccination clinic will open in the next few weeks for students to receive their second and final dose of the vaccine.
Meningitis B is a potentially deadly disease. Bexsero, a type of Meningitis B vaccine, has an official website that states that Meningitis B is “a bacterial infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord.” The website also states that roughly one in 10 Meningitis B patients are at risk of dying, at times within the first 24 hours.
According to Mayo Clinic, Meningitis B symptoms include a stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, extreme headache and fever. Although Meningitis B is not as contagious as the common cold or flu, it can still be passed on through coughing, sneezing, kissing and the sharing of drinks, utensils, cigarettes and toothbrushes.
In the meantime, students are advised to get the vaccine, practice good hygiene and avoid sharing any of the aforementioned items.
